SAN MARCOS, Texas - Junior guard Jonathon Simmons posted career high points, and freshman forward TaShawn Thomas finished with a double-double - each for the second straight game - but it would not be quite enough as Texas State escaped with an 81-78 win against the University of Houston men's basketball team Tuesday evening inside Strahan Coliseum.

Trailing by as many as 23 points in the second half, the Cougars began chipping away at the deficit. For a while, it seemed like Houston would never move closer than within eight points. However, with just 5:37 remaining, the Cougars mounted their biggest charge.

With Texas State leading 74-65, Houston scored seven unanswered points from Simmons and Thomas to pull to within 74-72 with 66 seconds left.

Texas State's Matt Staff hit a driving layup with 40 seconds remaining to push the Bobcats lead back to four. After another Thomas basket moved Houston back to within two points, the Cougars were forced to foul with just 18 seconds left.

Brooks Ybarra hit both free throws and, following two free throws from Simmons, hit two more free throws to give Texas State an 80-76 lead with 12 seconds left. Freshman point guard J.J. Thompson then drove the length of the court and laid it up and in to cut the Bobcat lead to 80-78 with 6.1 seconds left.

Texas State guard Wesley Davis was fouled and made only 1-of-2 free throws, giving the Cougars one last chance. However, Thompson's desperation 3-point attempt was off the mark, giving the Bobcats the win.

With the loss, the Cougars fell to 4-4 with those four setbacks coming by a combined seven points. Texas State improved to 6-2 and won its 15th consecutive game on its home court.

Three days after scoring 22 points in a win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Simmons posted another career high with 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and an 8-of-10 performance from the free throw line. The Houston native also added nine rebounds.

Thomas posted his second straight double-double after going for 12 points and 12 boards against the Islanders last weekend. The Killen, Texas, native finished with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in 25 minutes. Sophomore forward Alandise Harris and Thompson also posted 11 points apiece for the Cougars.

Davis finished with 18 points, while Staff added 16 points and a team-high 11 rebounds to lead Texas State. They were the only two Bobcats to reach double-digit points.

UP NEXT
The Cougars will take a lengthy break to prepare for final examinations. Houston won't return to action until 7 p.m., Dec. 17, when they meet Oklahoma in Oklahoma City during the 76th Annual All-College Classic. That game will be televised live on ESPNU.

Fans can hear all Cougar Basketball games live on SportsTalk 790 AM with Tom Franklin calling the play-by-play action and Cougar legend Elvin Hayes providing analysis. Fans can follow live scoring by clicking the "GameTracker" link at UHCougars.com.

Fans also can watch live video and audio via Cougar All-Access at UHCougars.com. Fans should note that a charge is required to watch and hear streamed games on-line.

SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are now available at the Houston Athletics Ticket Office. General admission season tickets begin as low as $135, while reserved seating season tickets start as low as $195.

Families also will enjoy the Family Fun Plan. For only $299, families receive two adult and two youth general admission season tickets. Additional youth season tickets in the Family Fun Plan can be purchased for $75 each.

In the Satisfaction Guaranteed plan, fans who purchase men's season tickets by Nov. 30 and are not satisfied with their game-day experience can return their remaining tickets by Feb. 1 and receive a full refund.

Fans can order their season tickets by calling 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) or by visiting UHCougars.com and clicking the Tickets tab and following the appropriate links.